


Jungle Gym

by CourierNinetyTwo



Category: RWBY
Genre: F/F, F/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-15
Updated: 2014-05-15
Packaged: 2018-01-24 20:52:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1616711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CourierNinetyTwo/pseuds/CourierNinetyTwo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Solitude only suits for so long.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Jungle Gym

Blake wasn’t sure what she had been thinking when she had asked Velvet and Sun to come over the night before. Yes, it was spring break and guests were allowed in the dorms with permission — not that Sun had  _gotten_  that permission, gambling on Ozpin not bothering to have anyone in the halls checking passes — but since Blake had sent the invitation out on her scroll, her good mood had disintegrated, and a fitful night of sleep hadn’t eased the storm determined to cloud her thoughts.

Plenty of writers surrounded words like  _melancholy_  in gilded trappings, likening it to beauty and the decay of creation, but Blake found it was little more than an inexorable fatigue, tied to memories she would like to forget, if they weren’t so valuable. Her book lay open on her lap, the leather cover heavier than it should have been; she had read the top passage on the right page six times now and the words refused to sink in, draw her down to the next paragraph.  _We are unfashioned creatures, but half made up, if one wiser, better, dearer than ourselves — such a friend ought to be — do not lend his aid to perfectionate our weak and faulty natures._

“Perfectionate,” Blake muttered out loud, glad there was no one else in the room to hear her.

The rest of the team had gone home for the holiday, albeit wracked with guilt when they realized Blake didn’t have any family to return to. Even Weiss had been mortified, and after enough awkwardness on all sides, she had promised, along with Ruby and Yang, to come home a day early so they could spend the last part of break together. Blake wanted to refuse, knowing airship tickets could be difficult and expensive to switch, but crushed in a hug by Yang from behind, with Weiss unable to hide a smile and Ruby already making plans for them to spend the day at the boardwalk, she had held her tongue.

It wasn’t as if she was really alone. Velvet’s family lived close to Beacon, and after spending two days with them — and a veritable mountain of home-cooked food, or so Blake was told — the other girl had returned stuffed and full of stories, and they had spent most of the week laying out under the trees near the edge of the campus, Velvet content to rest in her lap as she read. Sometimes they talked, but most often it was comfortable silence and by the time Blake finished a chapter, she would find a bracelet slipped onto her wrist, woven from the grass and flowers Velvet was sprawled across. The would-be jewelry always fell apart within a day, the soft green blades unwinding out of their braid, but the scent lingered against her skin, crisp and clean.

Sometimes, when they were sure no one else was nearby, Blake would set her book down and lean down for a kiss, her hair falling like a curtain to cover Velvet’s face. It felt warm and safe, the crimson blush painted across the other girl’s cheeks a lingering reward when they broke apart.  _Dating_ was a word Blake had no experience with — the White Fang really only cared for relationships when they produced more Faunus children — but she and Velvet were  _together_ , and that was easy enough to say. Sometimes ‘together’ meant they went into the city and saw a movie with Sun, or had coffee — all three cups often ending up balanced on a golden tail — and sometimes it meant Blake kissed them both, or more, if there was a place they could go.

She should have been excited they were coming over, but Blake’s mouth was set in a tight frown. The last thing she wanted to do was inflict this bitter mood on people she cared about, but her scroll lay on the sheets just out of reach, and picking it up to cancel seemed like it would put just as large a damper on their day. Letting out a growl of frustration, Blake reached up and yanked the knot of her bow free, the ribbon taking a few black hairs with it in her haste. She had put it on for breakfast and forgotten to take it off; the notion that she was getting used to her ears being pinned down was thoroughly disconcerting.

When the door to the room opened, Blake stiffened, fingers finding where the ribbon had fallen in the same instant she realized that the intruder was Velvet. There was a small smile on the other girl’s face, one that burst into a laugh when Sun stuck his head over her shoulder, imitating what he surely thought was a manly, dashing expression. Their fingers were loosely laced together, Sun’s tail idly swaying in barely stifled excitement.

“I heard there was some cat in here in need of company,” Sun’s grin was wide, showing off polished teeth. Blake had teased him about it once, asking how a thief kept up such fine dental care; apparently Shi-nee toothpaste was easy to swipe off shelves. “But I thought I might not be enough, so I brought a friend.”

Velvet, perceptive as always, caught her upset before it could be hidden behind the wide barrier of the book. “Blake, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” Blake said, although the sigh that trailed from her lips after didn’t exactly bolster her argument. “It’s good to see you.”

Before she could insist she was fine, that perhaps this would be better left for a day that everything wasn’t setting her on edge, Blake felt the mattress give under Sun and Velvet’s weight, finding him to her left and the other girl to her right. They were both warm, one arm each sliding behind her back with the coordination of old practice and Blake bit her lip, not wanting to say anything to ruin the moment. She closed her eyes instead, drawing in a deep breath. It smelled like they had been outside, the faintest hint of sweat paired with the heavier scent of grass trampled underfoot.

Blake shivered when she felt someone’s fingers seek out the ears atop her head, starting to massage at the base of them. It was Velvet, she thought; the touch was unspeakably gentle, without the callouses Sun had earned from his daily climbs across the city. No matter how rigid her jaw was set, staying tense was impossible as the slow circles of Velvet’s fingers added more pressure bit by bit, finally coaxing a purr from deep inside Blake’s chest. Sun kissed her cheek, one hand settling against her stomach and offering a careful horizontal stroke, back and forth until Blake turned her head, eyes opening just enough to keep their noses from bumping together when her mouth met his.

“Something go sideways when Velvet was picking me up?” Sun asked as soon as the kiss ended.

“No.” Blake’s brow knit. “I’ve just been thinking too hard, I guess.”

“You do have that habit occasionally.” Velvet murmured, an affectionate lilt suffusing the words. “Although it makes you look very stoic.”

Blake felt a rush of heat scatter across her face, turning her head the other way to look the other girl in the eye. Velvet’s smile was kind, the sort she could fall into in an instant, wanting to hold onto that bright expression until it frightened away the shadows around her. The hand toying with her ears went still as they kissed, Blake’s pulse quickening when Velvet’s tongue playfully teased across her lower lip. She shifted to one side to press closer, briefly startled when the book in her lap slammed shut and promptly pitched itself off the far side of the bed.

Sun’s laugh was contagious, the sound rising in her throat before Blake could stop it. Velvet’s giggle was brief but sweet and Blake gave up on any semblance of dignity when she nearly knocked skulls with the other girl trying to settle comfortably between her and Sun. He was warm pressed up against Blake’s back, all hard muscle and boundless energy, the spikes of his hair tickling the nape of her neck as he nuzzled against one shoulder. One of Velvet’s hands fell to her chest, pressing right above her heart.

“If you want to talk, you always can.” Velvet said.

Blake managed a small smile, reaching up to stroke up the back of one of Velvet’s ears; they felt softer than her own, although she knew they were just as sensitive. “Maybe after we rest? I didn’t sleep very much last night.”

“One nap coming up.” Sun’s arm slid down around her hips in a gentle hold. “Velvet had me running all up and down the boardwalk to find her anyway.”

“I did not,” Velvet protested, although she didn’t sound particularly scandalized. “I didn’t know there were three Dust shops on that block. My scroll has a terrible map on it.”

“Buying more supplies?” Blake asked, her eyes closing again as she lay her head against Velvet’s shoulder.

“There’s some new crystals that—” Velvet stopped short, and Blake didn’t have to look to know the other girl was blushing. “I’ll tell you later.”

“I’m looking forward to it.” Blake whispered, entirely sincere.

Sleep didn’t come immediately, not with her thoughts still locked in a spiral, but the tension bled away from her body as soon as Sun’s breath became even against her ear, Velvet’s a soft huff along the top of her hair. Just as consciousness threatened to slip away, Blake decided she would pick up another book from the library tomorrow, something without monsters and turmoil.

A love story, maybe.

 


End file.
